This is a common complaint - the shower has weak water flow; the sinks have weak water flow; the washing machine has weak water flow and it takes forever to do a load.

During inspections on any house I always check water flow. But especially on home inspections where there is well water!

This was an empty house, but on a well.

And the water flow from everywhere was decidedly low.

When I turned on the bath faucets there was a slight delay before water, which then exploded slightly with a brown tint.

The only one I could get off (without doing damage to the plastic) was this one.

Yummie!

The aerator on faucets is to capture small things that might be in the water.

Well, this little aerator has been on double duty for some time! You should have seen the shower water flow!

What would you like to see on a house with well water?

Some kind of whole-house filter.

What do I recommend? A large filter canister that is clear, so it can be seen when to replace the filter.

How often is it replaced? When it looks dirty!

This is the filter I have in my house. We are on public water. I have to replace it every couple of months! It has a carbon layer to remove the chemical taste and smell in public tap water.

But this is not the filter I recommend for the initial stage of well water because it filters a smaller micron bit of debris than you would need for well water.

Instead of the kind of filter above, for the initial filtration of well water it is important to capture the larger grit, sand, silt and mud with the first filter.

It kind of looks like a skein of yarn!

These are cheaper and can be replaced often without much cost.

Later you would want the smaller micron and carbon filtration, perhaps nearer to the point of use.

We have another super filter under the kitchen sink for drinking and cooking. That's right, I don't like tap water.

Well water would need to be tested to see what's in it - chemicals, pesticides, minerals - and then a specific system can be designed to provide the best water for the household.

My recommendation: do what you can to filter well water! Doing so will make all the fixtures and appliances in the house work better, last longer, and the water flow will not so often become an issue. And will it taste as good as a case of Billy Jays special hydrogen dioxide? Probably not, but you will be well on your way.

Sooooo...this will blog will find its way next to Mr. Hanson's cup this morning...and into our newsletter next month ! We are on city water and the communities we service can be on either city or well water...regardless of the source...a filter sounds like the way to longer lasting plumbing !

Jay, this is one of the first things I noticed when we moved into our house back in September 2011. The pressure tank was undersized, the pressure gauge had water in it and water flow was restricted. I removed the aerators from the faucets and about an inch of sediment came out. Rebuilt the entire system and added a larger pressure tank, new pressure switch and added a 10 micron filter and U/V light. We still get some sediment in the back of the toilet tanks every few months, but other than that, it is a remarkable improvement.